Vertical caving terminology and methods > SRT basic terms
Where a rope is not long enough for the entire hang, so two ropes are joined somewhere in the middle of the hang. The ropes will be joined with a bend, and the bend should either have another knot with a loop which can be clipped into with a cows tail for safety, or the bend should have a load bearing loop of its own which can be used in the same way. When prusiking, passing a knot is as simple as disconnecting one ascender at a time to pass the knot. However, while abseiling, passing the knot needs a much more complex manoever, with the most common one being to perform a mid-rope changeover above the knot, followed by a reverse prusik down to the knot, then another mid-rope changeover below the knot. There are some shortcuts that can be used, but it always involves the use of an ascender. Because of the complexity, passing a knot should only be used when there is no other option. Ideally, the ropes should have a more convenient rope join instead, such as at a rebelay or Y-hang, or part of a traverse line. In general, this is only used on expeditions, or during initial exploration, when the rope requirements for a cave are not known in advance, and there might be a rush to explore it without having a more appropriate rope setup first. It is avoided almost completely by users of indestructible rope technique by using ropes that are long enough for the entire pitch, and abandoning exploration if a suitable rope is not available. In regions where indestructible rope technique is popular, it is common not to wear the prusiking rig while abseiling, which makes it impossible to pass a knot, and it is extremely difficult to pass with some prusiking systems that might be in use in those regions.
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